The First Step from Girl to Goddess
by Cookweave
Summary: A short story that is part of a series centered two years before the events of Soul Edge. This story is about Cassandra


January 15th, 1582.

Cassandra Alexandra had just completed the day's work in the bakery alongside her elder sister, Sophitia. The pair of them had already sat down by the fire and looked through the many love letters that had now become a part of their daily routine. However, two things were strange. The first was that Cassandra had actually gotten letters sent to her, and the second was when Sophitia had finished, the teenager just… went off into her room and didn't say a word. That wasn't like Sophitia; she almost always would say what she was going to do first. Perhaps she was feeling sick…

Regardless, it was now time for Cassandra to finally start reading the letters that she was provided. Unlike the beautifully written and presented ones given to her sister, these ones were scrappy, and seemed to be penned in a rather rushed way. This was simply because these were from people that were her age. She was unsure as to what they meant though, so she picked them up and wondered into the kitchen. Achelous was out purchasing the products that he would need to feed his family of five, whereas Nike was sat, picking up one of Cassandra's tunics with a needle and thread.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to fi—Cassandra?" The woman would glance over to her twelve-year-old daughter, whom was stood at the doorway to their kitchen. She held the letters in her hand, and simply sat at the opposite side of the table to her mother. She set the clothing down before speaking up once more. "What is it you need, dear?"

"Why are these things so special?"

"Oh, um… Well," Nike would stumble over her words, before pulling herself closer to her youngest daughter. She would tap at her chin, thinking a little bit about how she would go about explaining things. "Well, you may notice that you're… well, you're noticing boys more. And… they notice you more,"

"What do you mean? Boys already do notice me, look at my friends," Cassandra replied. She was naïve when it came to this sort of thing, purely due to a lack of experience.

"I mean, as more than a friend. They notice your looks more, your scent,"

"My scent? Am I sweating too much? It's because we're always playing around,"

"No, not like that," Ach, Nike is having an absolute nightmare. She simply had no idea how she managed to do this once before. It was probably because Achelous took a no-nonsense approach with Sophitia. It worked, although the elder sister was still rather nervous around men because of it. "Women have a… particular smell, when they are more… Ahem!"

Poor Nike. She was red as a tomato, and Cassandra was totally clueless about it. Perhaps it would be best to go over this another time. "Sorry, Cassandra," she stated. "I'm not sure how to go about this. Your father was the one who told Sophitia about it."

It was at that moment that Cassandra suddenly twigged. She finally understood why this was so awkward, since it was to do with… well, _that_. "Oh," Cassandra spoke softly, a small smile upon her face. Opening up a letter, the girl would run a hand through her shoulder-length hair, brushing it out of her face. "You're on about the blessing of Aphrodite, aren't you? Sophie mentioned it a couple of times to me, it's how a girl grows into a woman, right?"

"Yes, that is the case. How do you know about that?"

"Some of my friends were on about it."

"Yes… yes, of course they would. It is a natural thing about growing up. You'll… bleed from places and grow hair there. It may seem weird but all girls go through it. Your body will also become more… womanly, so to speak."

"Gotcha, thanks Mom!"

And with that, Cassandra scooped up the letters and ran up into her room. Nike was entirely speechless at how that went. It was a disaster yet did exactly what she intended it to do. Children really were an enigma, and Cassandra was no exception.

"Mom's right… I am growing more womanly…"

Cassandra sighed as she stared at the mirror in the bedroom of the two girls, her hands placed upon her hips. She was in nothing but her smallclothes, trying to judge what she had heard about this. It was true. Her chest had begun to develop, and her waist was now a little more defined than it was before. She hadn't lost weight recently, so it must have been that her hips had widened. "That explains why the tights are harder to put on…"

Giving a sigh, she would get dressed once again and sit herself down on the end of the bed. She finally took a look at the letter she had opened earlier, tracing along each hand-written word with her finger. The note was simply written. There was no hyperbole in it, nor any elegance with the words.

_Cassie,_

_I think that I may love you._

_Helios_

"What is so special about this? I mean, it's nice he thinks this way, but I couldn't ever care for him in that way. GAH!" Cassandra let a groan escape from her as she read the letter addressed to her. This was a complete mess, this was her friend after all. They were tackling each other to the floor and trying to pull each other's arms out just the other day. After all, that's how they met, and fighting was the main thing that the pair had in common.

The second and third letters were the same. They were simple notes saying a similar thing to the first, albeit with a different name at the bottom. "This is normal," Cassandra whispered to herself, putting the note down underneath her bed. She knew that Sophitia wouldn't read them, so it was safe to leave them there.

The fourth note, however, the one she had purposely saved for last…

It smelt of lilies and lilac. It had a faint hint of perfume upon it. The writing upon the front, that simple word.

_Cassandra_

It was written daintily, with more care and finesse. The sealing of the envelope was shaky, the seal on the back marked with a little heart; she had seen this seal mark before.

Each pulse of her heart slammed against Cassandra's ribcage, and at a rate she didn't think was even possible. Taking the letter opener (which she was totally borrowing from her big sister, but she didn't need to know that), she would gently run it along the top of the envelope, and as she read the letter, she felt her hand begin to tremble. She'd never heard her friends talk of this before, nor had Cassandra ever heard Sophie talk about the idea with her friends.

The note was simple, and no more detailed than the others. But that was not what made it stand out.

_Dear Cassandra,_

_I do not know how it would be possible, but… I think I like you_

_Yours, Ophelia._

Having read the letter that had been handed to her by who turned out to be Ophelia, Cassandra was kicking at the floor outside of their home. It was a dry day, but as ever, it was bitterly cold. Usually, Cassandra would simply go and run around to keep herself warm in such weather, but in this case, she simply did not feel like doing so. She was confused, and a little angry about the fact that she was confused.

"Why does it always seem so hard…?" Cassandra would mutter, toying with the end of her scarf. This was one that was hand-made by Sophitia; a treasure to the younger sister. Even though most of her clothes were usually sullied by dirt or the occasional rip, the scarf is something that she always made sure that she looked after. "I bet Sophie never had this trouble…"

At this point, she heard a calling out from behind her. A familiar voice, and one that she had heard so many times. It was Helios, and Cassandra was about ready to flee. _Please don't mention the letter_, she pleaded to herself in her mind. "CASSIE," he would continue to call out to her, before the girl turned around to take a look at him. He'd seemed a little pent up, but now he was… carefree again. He seemed well and was back to his usual antics. "You gotta see what I found," he exclaimed.

"Oh? You better not be pulling me into a trap to fight again," she scolded him, pulling the scarf up her face and around her mouth and nose. She was warm enough, but for some reason she didn't want to show her face. Again, she had no idea as to why, and it was so damn frustrating.

"I promise it isn't a trap! Come on, come on!"

"Fiiiiiine."

The girl found herself following behind as Helios seemingly charged forwards, towards a back alley. This was becoming more and more like a trap, and Cassandra was mentally preparing herself to punch him straight in his stupid face if he had any funny ideas. _Why do I bother, _she thought to herself.

But then, he stopped and picked something up from the floor. Something odd, and potentially something rather dangerous. It was a sheath to a knife, but it was empty. The blade was nowhere to be found. "Look at this Cassie," Helios would say, showing it off and handing it over to her.

The knife's sheath was made of silver and was jewel encrusted. There were patterns of snakes on the metal, made with the utmost skill. It looked as if it was ceremonial, so she simply can't think of the way that this was just lost. It seemed like if it was lost, the owner would be in a heap of trouble with the group that they are a part of. "Looks ceremonial to me," Cassandra would state swiftly.

"Ceremonial? Like a sacrificial dagger? But there isn't any sacrifice anymore. There hasn't been for years."

"Perhaps it was an antique that they were taking to the blacksmith to get valued."

"Rothion wouldn't know that, he's still a trainee!"

As thick-headed as Helios was, he was right sometimes, and this was certainly a time that he was. It was suspicious. If it belonged to a local villager, they would know that Rothion is on duty in the blacksmith, so they would not go to get it valued. An outsider wouldn't have come here either, since Athens was only an hour or two's ride away from their location. They would get more for it there.

"Something's wrong then. Go to Rothion and get our swords. I feel like we're going to need them," Cassandra would state, stowing the sheath away from sight in her overcoat. "I'll go take this over to Patroklos. It would be best to let him know that something like this has been found."

With that, Cassandra would turn and begin to run back into town. _Damn it,_ she thought to herself, a small smile escaping onto her lips for a second. _I told myself that I wouldn't run today. I don't want to start sweating again-_.

"Ow!"

Cassandra would yelp as she bounced off of the person that she had just collided with. A lapse in her concentration had just caused her to run into someone and knock the both of them onto their backsides, and that certain someone was about the last person she wanted to see about now.

A long, flowing dressed topped with a gentle, lilac cardigan. Waist length, chestnut hair, braided just how her elder sister would wear it. Features that made the girl look almost like a fragile doll, something to be cherished and adored. This was Ophelia, the girl who had only this morning confessed her feelings towards the other girl. "C-Cassandra, I'm so sorry!"

Something that was not too unusual for the girl, she was bawling, as she sat up and flung herself at the other girl. Cassandra didn't know why, but there was a welling in her chest. She was choking on her own words. She knew that Ophelia would be able to feel the pounding of her heart, yet, she still placed a hand upon the back of the girl's head, holding it close to her chest. "What are you sorry for," Cassandra would ask. She was expecting this to be an apology for the letter that she had been sent earlier, and how it was rude for her to push her feelings upon her like that. "If it's about the letter then—"

"It's not about the letter!"

Cassandra's eyes would widen at that. Ophelia almost never raised her voice like that, and the look of desperation in her eyes, it was clearly something extremely serious. "Well, what is it then," she would ask in a soft tone, before letting go of the girl and standing up to her feet. She could feel a trembling in her legs, but what that trembling was due to was up in the air.

"I-I went over to the shrine, and then this man… He was waiting for me, a-and… he swung a knife at me," the girl spoke in a swift panic, before getting up and taking Cassandra by the hand. "W-when I ran away, I saw Sophitia heading that way!"

Sophitia. That was all that the younger sister had to hear to send her mind racing. She was in a frenzy, being swiftly swept over with emotion. "Get away from here. Head back to the bakery, then tell my mother I'll be there soon." Tapping on the back of the girl, she gave a nod and began to run towards their family home. Cassandra would discuss the letter with her a little later. For now, all that she had to do was find her sister.

Why did she not have the calm demeanour of her elder sister? Sophitia could hold her tongue at the worst things, keep her emotions in check in the face of adversity. Yet Cassandra was reckless, headstrong, and if she was insulted, she would simply throw an insult straight back. Here she was, rushing headlong into danger again, just to try and get back to her family.

A run turned into a full-on sprint as the girl arrived at the shrine. She took a look inside, nobody there. To the side, a pair of footprints, that led into a trail and more of them. And, just to make things worse, there was blood here. Cassandra wanted to throw up. Was she too late? No, the body would have been impossible to carry unnoticed, Sophitia must be alive!

Turning tail and sprinting, Cassandra would take a shortcut through the back alleys that she always used to evade capture from her friends when they were playing. The fact that she's so fast also helped her to more often than not come out on top.

But she only could dream that this was a game, and she was running through the streets to not get tagged or tackled to the ground. This was real, and she was running for the life of her sister, full sprint. She was solely focused ahead of her, that she didn't spot something in the road that would cause her to trip and tumble across the floor, landing nastily and twisting her ankle in the process. Yet, this was the best thing about this situation. Blood soaked the ground from where she had tripped, having seeped into the rarely walked earth beneath it. That armour was one worn by Athenian guards, and since this was only a small village, that could only mean but a single thing.

This was Patroklos, and he had been murdered.

Cassandra trembled slightly as she just sat there, staring at the brutality that was in front of her. She tried to call for help, but her voice was not co-operating. All that escaped her were small, helpless whimpers. "Ah… ah…" Silence fell upon her, for what felt like an eternity, before…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Sophitia had forced Cassandra to go with the parents of Rothion, who swiftly returned her back to her home. She was limping a little bit, but with a few hours of rest, the girl would be fine once again. Knocking at the door, the two other guards would explain to Nike what happened, before letting Cassandra go in and sit down opposite Ophelia. After that, Nike had darted out of the home with the two remaining guards, off to collect her darling eldest daughter.

"…"

"…"

The pair would sit in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Ophelia picked up a kettle and poured a drink for Cassandra. Her hands were still trembling, but Cassandra did not have any idea as to why. The pair of them were safe at home now, nothing else could happen. Well, to them at least. A sinking feeling had struck Cassandra, and she hated the fact that all she could do was sit there and cry whilst her elder sister risked her life.

"Ophelia," Cassandra would finally break the silence in a calmed, yet deflated manner. She had enough, and just wanted this accursed day to be finally over. Her sister brought home to her so that she could be a family once again. "Why did you send me that letter?"

The other girl froze when she was asked, before she sat down and began to twiddle her thumbs. Her stuttering and stumbling across herself only showed that she was just as nervous as the girl that was the recipient of her admiration. "I… I was thinking…" she would stutter out. Taking a gulp, she steadied her breathing, and started to speak once again. "I have always watched people our age and I've noticed that I didn't feel that way about any boys. I didn't want to know what they were like, I never got the urge to kiss them or anything. I never looked at one and thought of them as… handsome."

"But then I think I realised why once I moved here."

Cassandra would look up from her tea. Of course, Ophelia had only came here last year after her parents had been slain in a bandit raid. She was making her home with an elderly couple who were kind enough to take the girl in. One of the first girls that she met was Sophitia, who then introduced her to her little sister. They were the same age, but despite the fact they were polar opposites, they almost immediately clicked, becoming fast friends.

"I met you and suddenly, everything seemed different," she said rather plainly, a small quiver audible in her words. It was this kind of feeling that set Cassandra's heart racing. The girl then sat next to Cassandra, before giving a sigh. "My grandparents were disapproving of it, but I ignored them…"

"W-well… I see, but… I—"

Cassandra's words were cut off by a pair of lips being placed to her own. Ophelia had leaned in and stolen a kiss from her. It was her first kiss, and it was just as Sophitia had once described it to her. The world just seemed to fall away in that instant, and time froze. What was only half a second felt like an eternity, and the girl began feeling numb. But once it was over, everything went back to normality. They were back on the chair, extremely close. Cassandra could hear the other girl's breathing was ragged, much like her own was. She could feel both of their pulses were through the roof. It was like at that moment, the pair of them had become one.

"Wow… I—"

"I'm sorry," Ophelia interrupted, before hiding her face in her hands. She looked like she was about to break down and cry over that. Perhaps she truly regretted that. "I'm so sorry, I just… I don't know, I stepped out of line and shouldn't have done that, and I just ruined our friendship and—"

"Ophelia?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up," Cassandra said with a small grin forming on her lips. She pulled the hand that was covering Ophelia's face away and placed her own hand to cup the other girl's cheek. She broke into the faintest of giggles as she rested her forehead next to the other's. "I don't know whether it's the same thing that you feel, but I liked it. I don't feel that way about other boys either. I got that note and, well, I had others from the other guys. The only one that felt… special, I guess, was yours."

Ophelia simply gazed into the other's eyes, gaze lovingly fixed upon Cassandra. Despite the fact that she was tomboyish, rough and ready, nothing like what others would consider pretty, Ophelia saw it. Behind that façade was a beautiful young woman, who was as confused with herself as much as Ophelia. Standing up, the woman would tilt her head and step backwards. She hoped that through her actions, she had allowed for Cassandra to feel less shaken from the tragic events of earlier.

"Thank you," Cassandra said, looking up and returning the smile. Ophelia was too kind for her own good. But she simply was too worried. Her mother had been explaining about feeling this way with boys. She didn't even give the idea of the same feelings for two girls to feel that way about one another. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you a proper answer. I'll… need to do that tomorrow, I think. Just to give me some time to understand it all.

"Don't worry about that. I understand if you don't feel the same way. Take as long as you need. After all, the last thing that I want to do is to make you feel like you are being pressured into something that you don't want to do. I don't want to hurt you," Ophelia would whisper before taking a step out of the door and turning with a little wink. "Also, don't worry about me taking this, okay? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, so I won't tell a soul,"

With that, Ophelia would leave. After a moment of processing what just happened, Cassandra's cheeks began burning, fortunately to no one's sight. She hid her face in her trusted scarf, before flailing her legs and rolling about on the sofa she was sat on.

_AAAAAAGH, I can't just go and blurt this to mom! _Cassandra's mind was screaming into a nothingness. Thank the gods that nobody was able to read her thoughts. _I gotta tell Sophie though, she'll know what to do! Plus, she always is supporting, even if I do something stupid!_ That did raise a question in her head though, one that would worry her to no end.

Was she being stupid and hysterical, or were these feelings genuine?

It had been a few hours since the girls had gotten home, and the pair of Cassandra and Sophitia are spending their last few hours of the day in the bath house. The sisters would share the main female bath, as their stress seeped away into the hot water they were submerged in. It wasn't until the pair of them arrived that Cassandra saw just how much punishment her sister had taken on her behalf. Her entire body was filthy, bruised and cut.

"Sis, I'm sorry that I wasn't there in your place," Cassandra would say out. Since it was so late, there was not another soul there. The sisters liked this, as this was some of the only true alone time that they got together. "I should be the one who's beaten to a bloody pulp, not you."

"Cassandra, you didn't know about this for a reason," Sophitia would respond, as she took a handful of water and splashed herself in the face with it. It stung, but it would allow for the bruising to go down much faster. "If nothing else, I'm bigger than you. That guy was strong, you may not have been able to overpower him."

"You're right, sorry for doubting you. But if you go and do something like that again, at least tell me, okay?!"

"Yes, of course. I couldn't do that to you again."

"Better."

Cassandra would smirk as she slid down into the bath, just her eyes poking out from above the water. This was her best method to allow herself to just think and relax. Unfortunately, she only did it when something serious was on her mind, and her elder sister knew that too. Sometimes there was just no escaping her and her ability to almost read the mind of Cassandra. "Is something on your mind?"

A silent nod was given from below the water, before Cassandra brought herself up to the surface once again. It would be difficult to talk about this anyway, but it would be outright impossible to talk whilst underwater. "…" She was still hesitant.

"I can tell that you want my advice on something Cassandra,"

There was no doubt about it. This woman was able to read her mind. Forget what she said earlier, Sophie was truly able to read her little sister's thoughts like a book. "Yeah," she would softly reply. "I do need your advice on something. Uh…"

Sophitia's eyes would widen a little as Cassandra's cheeks slowly started to burn once again. This was embarrassing, and the girl didn't understand why her feelings were so embarrassing. "Well, is it possible for… girls to like girls?"

Now it was the other sister's turn to go red. This was the last thing that she expected to hear from the younger, but it was along the lines of what she wanted to hear. "Just because this man was evil doesn't mean all men—"

"I don't mean it because of that," Cassandra blurted out, before swiftly bringing her hands to her mouth as if to stop her saying something too loud to hear. "What I mean is, with those letters, one of them was from a girl, and… well, I felt different about that one. And by that, I mean I actually felt something. I'm sure it was embarrassment, but it was a good kind."

Sophie gave a small nod, before giving a tap to her chin and looking up towards the ceiling. It certainly sounded like it was genuine, and there was no reason for Sophitia to doubt her little sister either.

"Well," Sophitia would begin to explain. "It has been known before, and we live in a country where something like that is a little more accepted than most. However, it is considered generally taboo, and most people tend to be against the idea of it."

"I… see," Cassandra replied, sinking herself into the water again. She thought that she finally understood what was going on in her mind, only to be told that she wouldn't be accepted for being that way. Great. "So I should just go and find a husband, get complacent and die a miserable woman, right?"

"No."

No? Sophitia just told her that what she was feeling was entirely wrong, and now she goes and tells her to feel that way anyway? The girl was mad! "What do you mean no? You just said yourself it was taboo—"

"Cassandra."

Sophie took that tone again. The one which she only ever took when scolding her little sister or making sure that she put her point across. Cassandra prepared herself for a real tongue-lashing but was surprised when the tone taken with her was a lot softer than she had expected. Sophie was calm, trying to put the younger sister at ease.

"It is taboo, but if not for people who break the rules, defy what is considered normal, then the world will not progress, or become more accepting. I feel about some boys the same thing that you do about some girls. You just look at them and your heart skips a beat. You need to believe in yourself and follow your heart."

"Should I tell Mom or Dad about this?"

"Yes. They may take a while to come to terms with it, but in the end, you're their daughter. They'll love you no matter who it is your heart desires." Sophitia said with that sweet smile of hers. She was so determined to try and cheer her sister up. The pair of them would leave the bath together, and finally head back home.

As the two of them lay in their respective beds on the opposite sides of the room to one another, Sophitia would sigh. She could hear Cassandra gently weeping into her pillow, trying her best to stifle it and not have her sister hear her. She was failing at it. Nike and Achelous had not taken the revelation about their daughter very well, both of them unable to come to terms with the fact that Cassandra, in the eyes of society, was not normal. She was an outcast, and they simply told her what she feared they would say.

"Don't be stupid. This is just a phase. All kids have it."

Silently, Sophitia would stand up and approach the other bed. She could hear Cassandra grumbling and growling through her sobs. "It's not a damn phase…" she would mutter to herself. "I can't help it if I'm not normal, if I'm a freak. DAMN IT!" She would scream as she slammed her face against the pillow.

Climbing into the bed, Sophitia would gently wrap her arms around her sister, just like she used to do when they were younger. "…" Cassandra would take a small gasp but stop crying at the gentle touch of the elder sister. Was she overreacting about this? Probably. But at least this cuddling was gentle. It was loving. It was exactly what the girl needed.

"Tomorrow, we'll go and see Ophelia, okay? Tell her how you feel, be honest with yourself. You always want me to be happy, so now it's my turn to do the same for you." Sophitia would whisper, a hand gently stroking the hair of Cassandra, shoulder-length and a beautiful golden colour, just like the rest of her family. "I'll do what I can to help keep your relationship a secret. Also, one more thing."

"No matter what, I'll always be on your side, Cassie, always rooting for you. After all, it's what big sisters do."

END


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